Mount

Mounts are a much sought-after form of transportation in which players ride atop the backs of various more or less exotic beasts (or machines). Warlocks, paladins, and death knights can learn to summon mounts as a class perk. Mounted travel is almost always faster than walking/running (amphibious mounts such as the Sea Turtle (mount) provide only circumstantial speed boosts on land). World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade introduced flying mounts in select areas, which further increased the maximum possible player movement speed and also increased accessibility to various locations previously unreachable. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm introduced flying to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, as well as the new areas exclusive to the expansion.

Mounts were generally expensive in the past, but their prices have been reduced while the training to ride them increased in order to compensate. However, some mounts do not cost any gold or other currencies (such as honor points) and will drop at very low rates from bosses in instances such as Stratholme, Tempest Keep, Magisters' Terrace, Sethekk Halls, Karazhan, and Utgarde Pinnacle. There are numerous other methods to obtain mounts as well, such as class quests, completing achievements, the Trading Card Game, and the Black Market Auction House for older ones from removed content.

Mounts have a 1.5 second cast time, which will be interrupted by taking any damage, moving, or entering combat.

The guild perk Mount Up increases your speed while mounted by 10% except in Arenas and Battlegrounds.

• On a Pale Horse increases your speed while mounted by 20%. The mounted movement speed increase does not stack with other effects.
• Heart of the Crusader (paladin ability) increases your speed while mounted by 20%. The mounted movement speed increase does not stack with other effects.

There are five other methods for increasing your mounted speed, though they only function at lower levels:

• Riding Skill: +2% (stacking), world drop Enchanting recipe
• Carrot on a Stick: +3% (stacking), reward from the Gahz'rilla quest in Zul'Farrak.
• Mithril Spurs: +4% (stacking), world drop Blacksmithing plans
• Riding Crop: +10% (non-stacking), Leatherworking pattern sold in Old Hillsbrad Foothills.
• Skybreaker Whip: +10% (non-stacking), quest reward from Dragonmaw Race: Captain Skyshatter, must be Honored with Netherwing.

The first three of these effects stack with each other, before being applied as a multiplier to your current mounted speed. Players with all three effects will, therefore, gain a 9% increase. The last two items both increase mounted speed by 10%. However, they do not stack with each other, or the other previously mentioned methods.

At BlizzCon 2009 it was revealed that flying mounts would be available in some form to use in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms with the release of. Blizzard had previously stated that it was unlikely that they would allow flying mounts in these continents since doing so would require them to redesign the continents with flying mounts in mind.

The former state of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor was unsuitable for flying mounts; there were visual glitches like mountains and high buildings whose tops could not be seen, and places where the terrain abruptly changed from one tileset to another, creating a grossly unrealistic appearance in some areas. There were also zones which should be there lore-wise but were empty and unfinished.

Since Cataclysm, players could fly all over Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor but are still unable to fly in Azuremyst Isle, Bloodmyst Isle, Ghostlands, Eversong Woods, and the Isle of Quel'Danas. Attempting to fly toward Ghostlands will be encountered with an invisible wall that stretches from the Forbidding Sea to the Northern Lordaeron area above Eastern Plaguelands and northeast of Western Plaguelands.

• Most mounts have a special emote they can do: this can be invoked while motionless on the ground, either by the slash command for flying mounts or by pressing the key for ground-bound mounts.
• Flying mounts can perform a loop! Press Pitch Up or Pitch Down (normally and ) while in flight to perform a loop. On a Macintosh, the key, or the combination (on the laptop) will start it.
• Additionally, while in a loop, you can use your strafe keys.
• There are mounts that allow other characters to ride as passengers (such as the Mekgineer's Chopper, the Reins of the Grand Ice Mammoth, the Reins of the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth and Reins of the Grand Black War Mammoth).
• There are also flying mounts that allow passengers. Such as the X-53 Touring Rocket‎‎, Heart of the Nightwing, Vial of the Sands.
• During the World of Warcraft beta, tauren were meant to use the Plainsrunning ability instead of being able to use mounts, but this was eventually cut before release.

• Riding skill
• List of mounts (MountID)
• Mounts by source
• Class mount
• Transportation category for a detailed list of methods of transportation in WoW.
• If you want to get a head start, read a Guide for Preparing to Buy a Mount.
• Mount lore

Montura Monture